The Diplodocus

Belated Thanks December 9, 2009

Crazy time — parents and sister in town, then out of town with my parents and sister, then arranging for the parents to travel while staying in town, all the while transitioning to a new position in the office. Deep breath.

In the madness I forgot to give thanks this year, quite literally. Despite hosting two lovely strangers and my family for Thanksgiving, we forgot to go around the table and give thanks. Despite the chance to be with my nuclear and extended family, all at the same time, in our ancestral city for the first time in years, I didn’t think to thank anyone. Despite being able to show my family my workplace, introduce them to my coworkers, and take them to a rather unique local holiday celebration, not once did I think “I need to feel grateful for this.”

Here’s a corrective, banking on the spiritually evergreen nature of thanks.

Thank you Orville and Wilbur Wright, Otto Lilienthal, Samuel Langley, and all the other parents of modern aviation, for making the two week holiday half way across the world possible.

Thank you random farm in Pune, for providing amazing Thanksgiving turkeys two years running.

Thank you Michael Graglia for being the best yoga teacher I’ve had, ever. (we’ll miss you!)

Thank you cell phone deregulation and competitive market, for making it so darn cheap to call home.

Thank you Bandra for your ample bounty of cheap and delicious food, just a phone call away.

And thank you to all the family and friends who have visited us in Mumbai over the last year and a half, for making India feel a little bit like home.

Mike’s been teaching in India for the last year (well, consulting with some teaching on the side). He’s in SE Asia for the next few months, but is going to be back in DC around the same time we are — we’ll make sure to take you to his class when he gets back.